Any woodpeckers out there?

[keithrs]

I was wondering if any of the woodpecker on here make there own baskets? What technique's did you use?

I'm thinking of making some baskets(4" and bigger) for some plants of mine out of ipe decking. I'm thinking about using a 1x6 and routing out 1/2" grooves horizontal about 1/2" apart. Maybe some dovetails for looks? For hanging hardware, I'm thinking about some T-nuts with some 1/4x6" pan head bolts and an angled bracket with strained wire... all SS.

I'm just really sick off cheaply made oversea baskets and no better way to get the quality I want then to make my own!:wink:

 

[Clark]

I've pecked some wood.

Sounds like a great idea. We both know you are going to make a dozen or so at the same time, to gain efficiency through the assembly line.

Maybe you can make an extra two, and sell them to me before next spring.
Don't need any wire, have 80# mono in stock.

 

[cnycharles]

an orchid club member makes lots of wooden slat basket at home, and sells them at the club and on his website www.ionopsis.com . this way you can make longer baskets to accommodate long roots systems etc by making rectangles. can use any kind of strong wire with a loop so that you can easily add/take off slats. I think he uses band saw or jigsaw, though you can probably buy close to what you want and split it

 

[abax]

My husband and I make our own slat baskets out of cedar
and we use long eye bolts with wingnuts on the bottom to
hold the slats together. The problem here is finding the proper sized bolts for different size baskets. The wingnuts on the bottom of the basket makes it quite easy
to disassemble for reuse.

keithrs, whatever you make will be better than those commercial things.

 

[Ray]

I sometimes make my own, like Angela, out of cedar boards. I typically end up with strips roughly 1/2" square.

Once I cut them the the lengths necessary, is insert them in a jig on the drill press to place all the holes centered on the ends. I then feed thick wire (bent like and "L" at the bottom) up through the bottom slats and I can stack away. I use needle-nose pliers to twist a loop at the top.

I made a few baskets out of the recycled plastic lumber once. Wow is that easy to cut! The plants didn't seem to notice it wasn't real wood, and their roots didn't attach to it as well, which is good come "rebasketing".

 

[keithrs]

I've pecked some wood.

Sounds like a great idea. We both know you are going to make a dozen or so at the same time, to gain efficiency through the assembly line.

Maybe you can make an extra two, and sell them to me before next spring.
Don't need any wire, have 80# mono in stock.

What size would you want?

 

[keithrs]

I made a few baskets out of the recycled plastic lumber once. Wow is that easy to cut! The plants didn't seem to notice it wasn't real wood, and their roots didn't attach to it as well, which is good come "rebasketing".

I'm not one who likes to take the time to rebasket. I rather just stick the old basket in the new basket with some potting material if needed and call it done. I mainly grow Catt. type plants in baskets.... other plants would dry out to fast outside where I live. I may have to change when I get a humid greenhouse.

 

[Clark]

Four inch on the inside.
Thanks.

 

[keithrs]

Four inch on the inside.
Thanks.

Would you like a shallow(2"), standard(3-1/4"), or deep(4-1/2") basket?

 

[Clark]

Thanks for asking.

4-1/2" deep.

 

[keithrs]

Thanks for asking.

4-1/2" deep.

I drew out the basket last night to scale and with a 4" ID and 4-1/2" deep... The basket just didn't look right to me.... So I made it 3/4" wider on the ID and the basket looks alot better.... but I'll let you choose which one you would like! I'll post the drawings after I get off!

 

[Clark]

No need to post drawing, I trust your judgement.
3/4" wider sounds great.

 

[keithrs]

 

[keithrs]

Opp....too late! Lol

 

[Clark]

It looks like we are on the same page.